The ATF has dropped all restrictions to ownng short barreled rifles, silencers, etc

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

For 70 years US citizens have had to pay a $200 tax and receive a stamp allowing them to make or purchase a short barreled rifle (SBR) , short barreled shotgun, a suppressor (silencer) or AOW (Any Other Weapon). The One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminated the $200 payment, thus the stamp has been free since last year. Now the courts have ruled, and the ATF published a letter confirming the fact that a stamp no longer has to be obtained at all. Here is the relevant part of the letter:

“Consequently, effective October 9, 2026, ATF will no longer require individuals to seek ATF approval under the NFA before making or transferring short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, silencers, and “any other weapon”.

This a huge change in policy! Remember the Ruby Ridge shootout? That was precipitated because Randy Weaver sold a sawed off shotgun to an ATF agent. That is no longer a crime.

I assembled my first short barreled rifle a few months ago for no tax stamp cost but I still had to wait a few months for my stamp before I could attach the folding stock that converted the pistol into a SBR. . Now I can just order another one right away.

2

There’s gonna be a gold rush on suitable ordinary weapons to modify and the relevant parts to do so.

3

“and any other weapon”??
“Firearm” does NOT mean the same thing as “Weapon”, so please tell me there is further clarification.

4

There’s probably a catchall in the regs that defines what that reg means by “any other weapon”. I don’t know what it says, but they’re not meaning that folks can now buy their own shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles or nukes.

5

It means exactly what it says until someone shows otherwise.

6

U.S. Code, Title 26, Subtitle E, Chapter 53, Subchapter B, Part I, § 5845
(e)Any other weapon
The term “any other weapon” means any weapon or device capable of being concealed on the person from which a shot can be discharged through the energy of an explosive, a pistol or revolver having a barrel with a smooth bore designed or redesigned to fire a fixed shotgun shell, weapons with combination shotgun and rifle barrels 12 inches or more, less than 18 inches in length, from which only a single discharge can be made from either barrel without manual reloading, and shall include any such weapon which may be readily restored to fire. Such term shall not include a pistol or a revolver having a rifled bore, or rifled bores, or weapons designed, made, or intended to be fired from the shoulder and not capable of firing fixed ammunition.
26 U.S. Code § 5845 - Definitions

7

Here is the paragraph on Any Other Weapon. Not to be confused with a DD Destructive Device.

  • Any weapon or device capable of being concealed on the person and from which a shot can be discharged through the energy of an explosive
  • A pistol or revolver having a barrel with a smoothbore designed or redesigned to fire a fixed shotgun shell
  • A weapon with combination shotgun and rifle barrels 12 inches or more, less than 18 inches in length, from which only a single discharge can be made from either barrel without manual reloading
  • Any such weapon which may be readily restored to fire

This term does not include a pistol or a revolver having a rifled bore (or rifled bores) or weapons designed, made or intended to be fired from the shoulder and not capable of firing fixed ammunition.

8

Is this a change to an ATF policy or is the ATF not going to enforce the law?

9

And it is stated publicly and officially that this new proclamation does not in any way supersede U.S. Code, Title 26, Subtitle E, Chapter 53, Subchapter B, Part I, § 5845? Because it certainly changes a few other rules.
This may seem to be a bit pedantic, but I have seen the government at “work” in the past.